A naturist’s view on driving naked.

Driving naked

I talked about this before. Intrigued as I was by the comment of Artur, I decided to look into the Dutch laws about the need to be dressed while driving. I spent several hours going through all kinds of law texts, searched for stuff on a Dutch law website, and I came up with nothing related to the need to be dressed. The only law article that came up several times was the famous 430a, which ‘regulates’ the options for being nude in places. It decrees that you can’t be nude in public places. Places that are obviously not suited for it. Places where lots of people pass by.

This brings up the argument if the inside of your own car is a public place or not. I would assume it’s not. In a public place everyone can come in and sit down. That is not the case with my car. Now you may argue that it’s public enough for people to look inside and see a nude person in there. Correct. However, in the Netherlands it’s legal to be nude in your own house without having all drapes or curtains closed. People looking inside do so on their own risk.

Also it is okay to be naked in outside places where people can ‘look in’, meaning that you can be naked without having to take precautions not to be seen (a.k.a. ‘offend’ others). Places like this, on the right. Hardly a through road, right?

Apparently it’s mostly illegal over there, but restrictions happen on a per state basis, so know your rights. The most important thing there is what I’ve always said and thought also: don’t do crazy stuff. Drive like a normal person. Don’t attract attention. If there is no reason for people to look at your car (and you), they won’t. They’ll just drive on, paying attention to traffic as they (and you) should.

England

Considering the post I made about freehiking in the U.K. which details quite precisely what is okay and what isn’t, I would guess that driving nude there is safe also, provided you are in control of your vehicle (wear shoes).

Again

Yes, I know, I’ve posted about this several times before because it’s a topic I really am intrigued with since there are (at least in the Netherlands, as I said) no actual rules that I’ve found. And I love driving clothes free because of the liberating feeling that nudity gives me.

Have you driving naked? In what country? Do you have tips and suggestions? With enough feedback I might compile a ‘driving naked’ page with them!

You forget one thing: if you have to get out of the car for any reason you’re instantly in violation of 430a because you’re now “naked within sight of a public roadway”.
This include police stops, stopping for fuel, stopping for changing a tyre or other emergencies, being dragged out of the car after an accident, etc. etc.

So while the driving itself might be legal to do naked, any police officer wanting brownie points and a thrilling story to tell to his mates can pull you over for whatever (“concerned about your well being would be a popular one I guess), tell you to get out of the car, and then charge you with violating 430a leading to a criminal record and the associated fine.

I don’t think even the NFN legal team would be able to get that one lifted.

430a is so broad and so poorly written that it makes it effectively illegal to be naked anywhere except in your own house or garden (and then only if you can’t be seen “without effort” by people outside and in places where it’s explicitly declared legal, simply because the risk of getting arrested is too great.
Even where probably technically legal you never know if it actually is because there’s no legal requirement to mark places where it’s illegal and anyway any judge can decide on a whim that yes, it was indeed an “inappropriate place” or “within sight of a public roadway” (remember the case where that was deemed to include any public waterway?).

And no, you don’t need to wear shoes to be in control of your vehicle. Many people, me included, find that they have far more precise control over their vehicle when barefoot.
For women it’s even worse, as high heels are notoriously bad for controlling cars.

I have driven nude plenty of times during my paper route. But it was very early in the morning like around 2 AM to 5 AM. I can openly say that its mostly illegal to drive in the nude in the USA. You take a risk doing it if you get caught by the police. But that’s the thing, you have to be caught by the police. Most normal people don’t care if you drive in the nude. Well as long as you aren’t near a school or church.

Interesting subject. I’ve done it many times and with summer coming up, I’m looking forward doing it again. Here in NZ there are no actual laws prohibiting driving naked. There are the laws on ‘offensive’ and ‘indecent’, but simple nudity ins not an offense. I once got stopped in a car that I was going to get repaired to get a new WOF. I managed to put a pair of undies on my lap, but that was it. The officer had a faint smile on his face, but didn’t say anything. Also didn’t require me to get out of the car 🙂 He did give me a $250 ticket for not having a WOF. (Got that refunded after getting my WOF within 2 weeks).
I have heard that a survey on the Desert Rd (A major N/S link) found that there are a lot of people driving naked.

Aye, people usually are much more relaxed about nude driving (and nudity in general) when they meet folks like us one on one. That’s when they are (probably) less influenced by the general consensus that it’s evil. Glad the police officer didn’t make a fuss!

I really am puzzled by this “naked driving” thing!! I have read all the comments on other naturist forums from people (more often than not men!) about how they find clothing so uncomfortable that they can’t even tolerate being dressed in their cars, how they find being naked in their cars “liberating” etc…etc…
My wife and I have been naturists for over 35 years, we love to sunbathe and swim naked on appropriate beaches or our back garden, being naked in the sun and fresh air is what makes naturism so appealing to us, so how can anyone justify being naked at the wheel of a car when you are enclosed in a metal box (cabriolet’s not withstanding) with precious little fresh air or sun getting to your skin ! You start to understand why some people begin to think “weirdo” or “exhibitionist” when they hear that someone drives naked! You also start to understand why some naturists find that kind of practice a bit bewildering and worrying when you take into account the difficulty we face in getting naturism more widely accepted.

I am convinced you are not the only one who is puzzled about driving naked. As to the little fresh air: I roll the windows down as far as the noise level is still comfortable. That takes care of the fresh air. It also saves on having to use the air conditioning in the car (which gives me a headache – all air conditioning does). The windows in my car let in plenty of sunlight but for me that’s not the point. It’s not being inside clothes that makes it good for me. I appreciate your comment a lot. It’s good to have someone speak up who doesn’t get it. That’s your right, as there is this thing called freedom of speech. I think it’s like smoking or drinking alcohol. I don’t understand those habits because smoking stinks (for me) and alcohol can make people act like total jerks that put other people’s lives in danger.
I have yet to see driving naked to that (okay, if someone hasn’t had a bath in a while the stink will be there too).